Something Extra: Facebook Follies
MIAMI (CBS4) - These should have been the best of times for Facebook. And they are pretty fantastic for Facebook insiders who have sold their stock.
But the initial public offering fiasco and a couple of new surveys are making a lot of people ask if the social network is just a passing fad.
According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, thirty five per cent of Americans are spending less time on Facebook than they were six months ago. Only twenty per cent are spending more time on the site.
The same study found four out of five users have never been influenced by ads on Facebook. I'm one of them. That's my page there and I've rarely even noticed there are ads on it. No wonder General Motors pulled its advertising.
Another poll found forty six per cent of us think Facebook is a passing fad, but forty three per cent think it will be around for the long haul.
A lot will depend on whether Facebook can convince advertisers it's a good marketing tool and on how nimble the company is in adjusting to the quickly changing internet.
But no other company has nine hundred million active users worldwide, so I don't think I'd bet against it.
